In a luxury industry-first, Crystal Cruises has announced that it is open for booking, its voyages for 2014, plus itineraries up to mid-April 2015. New 7- to 89-day cruises in 2014 are among the 61 sailings aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, with 16 maiden calls, 194 total ports and 68 countries – including a World Cruise. Early 2015’s global calendar offers 15 exotic cruises and a 20th World Cruise, as well as nine maiden calls and a return to ports Crystal hasn’t visited in more than a decade.
2014
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites are featured on 54 of 61 cruises (or 89% of 2014’s itineraries), visiting 135+ dedicated historical destinations, from the ancient—Istanbul, Dubrovnik, and Tallin—to the intriguing—Casablanca, Cartagena, and Takoradi.
• World Cruise: 89-day, Jan-Apr, 5-segment LA-London cruise, with Crystal’s first return to West Africa since 2011
• 34% of cruises are 10 days or less.
• New ports include Galway, Ireland; Luanda, Angola; Lombok, Indonesia; Ibiza, Spain; Oban, Scotland; Skagen, Denmark; and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.
• Returns to places less-frequented by Crystal include the Andaman Islands; Brunei; Ghana; Helsingborg, Sweden; Ko Samui, Thailand; Zihuatanejo, Mexico; Tokyo, Japan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Korcula, Croatia.
• Nearly every itinerary features at least one overnight stay in renowned cities—often in the city of embarkation—plus, two consecutive overnights in many places like Yangon, Shanghai, Hong Kong, St. Petersburg, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Itinerary Highlights:
Asia
• Twice as many Asia sailings than 2013
• First-ever cruises to and from Bangkok, including a new round-trip Holiday voyage with Christmas and Hanukkah in Vietnam and New Year’s Eve overnight in Hong Kong. (Dec 21)
Europe
• More port-intensive voyages, including four sailings with no sea days
• Five North and South Europe combination voyages, with four of them offering time in Bordeaux
• New North Cape itinerary, with maiden call in Skagen, Denmark and rare calls in Alta and Kristiansand (Jul 14)
U.S., Caribbean, & Panama Canal:
• Crystal Serenity sailing the New England/Canada season for the first time ever, with new cruises to/from Quebec City and Boston.
• More Caribbean, including 5 Panama Canal cruises, extending coast-to-coast as well as between Costa Rica and Miami.
• New cruises to and from San Diego.
2015
• Crystal kicks off its 25th Anniversary year of ultra-luxury cruising with virtually all itineraries from Jan to mid-Apr being brand new.
• New ports include Ambodifototra and Tolanaro, Madagascar; Richards Bay, South Africa; Sanya, China; and Albany, Australia.
• Returns to locales less-frequented include Alter do Chao, Brazil; Yantai, China; and Maputo, Mozambique.
Itinerary Highlights:
• Crystal Symphony spends the entire first quarter in Southeast Asia, with eight new, exotic sailings between Bangkok, Bali, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
• Crystal Serenity makes her first-ever complete circumnavigation of the world, from Miami, with the company’s 20th annual World Cruise. Six voyages sailing through Miami, Callao, Auckland, Perth, Cape Town, and Rio comprise the 108-day Crystal Serenity adventure.
“As a leader in luxury vacation experiences, we are constantly pushing ourselves to find new ways to show the world to savvy travelers,” says Crystal’s Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales, Jack Anderson. “Our 2014 to early 2015 calendar is especially exciting, with dozens of new routes and places to see, via one of the most pampering ways one can travel: a Six-Star Crystal cruise.”
All-inclusive Book Now fares for early 2014 are available until October 31, 2012. (New Book Now fares will be announced November 1). All-inclusive Book Now fares for spring 2014 through spring 2015 are available until April 30, 2013. Book Now fares offer up to $9,000/person in savings for the 2015 World Cruise and up to $1,500/person for individual, 7- to 21-day voyages. Sailings start at $1,995/person, double occupancy, with attractive air add-ons available.
Crystal Cruises, 888-799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com